Bioelectricity More Efficient Than Ethanol

A recent study into green energy compared the efficiency of biomass processed into ethanol and biomass converted directly to electricity with the purpose of determining which of the two can offer more miles per acre of biomass.

I am of the opinion that going forward and transitioning to clean energy entails utilization of several different technologies. A recent study into green energy, however, compared the efficiency of biomass processed into ethanol and biomass converted directly to electricity with the purpose of determining which of the two can offer more miles per acre of biomass. Bioelectricity emerged as the apparent winner - it could power an electric vehicle for 14,000 highway miles from an acre of biomass feedstock, while an internal combustion engine powered by ethanol can only go for 9,000 highway miles using the same amount of feedstock. This goes for both corn biomass and cellulosic biomass such as that derived from switchgrass.

In addition to this finding, the researchers note that bioelectricity prevents the emission of roughly 10 tons of carbon dioxide that would have been emitted by an ethanol-powered car for one acre of feedstock. While clearly, bioelectricity is portrayed in this study as a more efficient and more logical source of energy, the scientists are well aware that it's too early to choose one over the other. Says paper co-author David Lobell of Stanford's Program on Food Security and the Environment: "We found that converting biomass to electricity rather than ethanol makes the most sense for two policy-relevant issues: transportation and climate. But we also need to compare these options for other issues like water consumption, air pollution, and economic costs."

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